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Invitation to contribute to an AOM symposium: Muslim diaspora in the West

  • 1.  Invitation to contribute to an AOM symposium: Muslim diaspora in the West

    Posted 12-11-2012 01:59
    Hello GDO Listserv Members,

    The following symposium invitation is posted on behalf of Dr. Jawad Syed,
    Reader in HRM, Kent Business School,University of Kent (j.syed@kent.ac.uk).

    Best Regards,
    Dianne Murphy
    GDO Listserv Manager
    University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

    ********

    Dear colleagues,

    We invite you to submit an extended abstract of 1500 words (plus
    references) to a presenter symposium titled “Muslims Meet Capitalists:
    Researching Diversity and Equal Opportunity Related Issues of the Muslim
    Diaspora in the West” for next year’s Academy of Management (AOM)
    conference in Orlando, Florida, USA (8-13Aug 2013). Please let us know of
    your interest (identifying a suitable topic) to participate in this
    symposium by return email asap.
    You will need to submit an extended abstract (1500 words (2-5 pages,
    double-spaced, including references), in AOM paper format, to be developed
    as a full paper subsequently) and lead your discussion (10-15 minutes) if
    our session proposal is accepted. Regardless of the outcome of the AOM
    submission, we will also seek to publish these papers as a part of a
    special issue of a reputable journal or a peer reviewed book subject to
    the publisher’s requirement (TBA).
    Please email to both organizers your extended abstract by 12 Dec 2012. You
    will also need to confirm that you have the firm intention to attend the
    AOM conference and that you are not in breach of the AOM rule of 3+3
    (maximum number of submissions).

    Regards,

    Jawad Syed and Edwina Pio
    Symposium Organizers

    j.syed@kent.ac.uk<mailto:j.syed@kent.ac.uk>
    edwina.pio@aut.ac.nz<mailto:edwina.pio@aut.ac.nz>

    ABSTRACT
    This symposium seeks to enhance an awareness of the complexity of the
    Muslim diaspora at work in the West in order to crumble and tease out the
    dissonance that exists in organizations with reference to Muslims. In the
    West, perceptions of Islam, whose etymology is peace, seem more closely
    aligned with violence, anti-Western jihad and intolerance. Yet as the
    millions of Muslims in the West grow exponentially in the twenty-first
    century, many societies and employers face unresolved questions and
    agonizing challenges in dealing with the Muslim diaspora, including the
    high incidence of unemployment and discrimination. Such questions and
    challenges are exacerbated by ideological discourse, radical Islam and
    researcher bias which influence approaches and raise questions about
    research methodology, conceptual paradigms, and an understanding of
    politico-socio-historical antecedents of equal opportunity related issues
    pertaining to Muslim diaspora. A pro-capitalist tendency seems to be
    manifest in the business case approach to diversity management whereas a
    pro-secular tendency is evident in a reluctance to name, acknowledge and
    accommodate Muslims and other forms of religious diversity in
    organizational structures and routines. Presenters in this symposium will
    reflect on diverse employment related issues and challenges facing the
    Muslim diaspora framed in the light of multilevel theorizing of diversity
    management. Conversations will include capitalism, immigration, equal
    opportunities and the internal heterogeneity and agency of Muslims. The
    symposium contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the Muslim
    diaspora and in so doing seeks to facilitate deeper understanding of
    the ‘Muslim edge’ in organizations.
    Key words GDO Division: diversity, gender, equal opportunity,
    intersectionality, Muslim diaspora, Muslim workers
    Key words IM Division: cross cultural, diversity, Islam, multinational
    enterprises, Muslim diaspora, Muslim workers

    ............................
    Dr Jawad Syed
    Reader in HRM
    Kent Business School
    University of Kent
    Canterbury, Kent CT2 7PE
    United Kingdom

    Phone: +44 (0) 1227 824114
    Fax: +44 (0) 1227 761187
    Email: j.syed@kent.ac.uk

    http://www.kent.ac.uk/kbs/community/staff/profiles/syed_jawad.html

    http://kent.academia.edu/Jawadsyed